Keep in mind that IS cites Dennis as authority for who is a person of good character and who is not, EVEN THOUGH DENNIS AGREES IS is “a lying, dishonest, manipulative fuckwit.”

GAD - 07 December 2008 03:39 PM

If anyone here hasn’t figured out that IS is a lying, dishonest, manipulative fuckwit, then you haven’t been paying attention.

Dennis Campbell - 07 December 2008 03:41 PM

GAD,Point made.Dennis

Therefore, you should not be surprised that the site IS relies upon for his stunning proposition that 20% of atheists believe in god or a universal spirit is an essay by Sam Harris in which he says these 21% are morons.

IS’ citation to the essay:

Immediate Suppression - 21 November 2008 10:19 PM

teuchter - 21 November 2008 08:27 PM

In response to my question about what he meant by “fundamentalist atheist,” IS replied:

Immediate Suppression - 21 November 2008 07:11 PM

1. [...] I use the word atheist fundamentalists do differentiate them from the 20% or so of atheists who do believe in some type of God, or are open-minded about an afterlife.

[...]I had expected something different than you mind-numbing reference to “the 20% or so of atheists who do believe in some type of God.”

Let me restate this:

You posit that 20% of people who “believe that there is no deity” “believe in some type of God.”

I am sorry that my post threw you off so much that you felt the need to resort to lewd pictures. Actually, maybe it wasn’t that lewd, it looks like the guy still has his pants on, and they are not bunched up near the shoes like they would be if his pants were down. The dog also is looking at the man’s eyes, not anything down lower that might be offensive. I regularly notice details like these that other people don’t.

I sort of feel like I will be doing the same thing back at you, because here is the evidence for the fact that a significant portion of atheists do believe in God. The survey wasn’t perfect, as Sam points out, but nevertheless a significant portion of atheists do believe in God.

I don’t believe in God myself, but I am also not an atheist fundamentalist. I like to consider myself a freethinker.

An excerpt from the referenced site upon which he relies:

According to a recent Pew survey, 21 percent of atheists in the United States believe in “God or a universal spirit,” and 8 percent are “absolutely certain” that such a Being exists. One wonders if they were also “absolutely certain” they understood the meaning of the term “atheist.” Claiming to be an atheist who believes in God is like claiming to be a happily married bachelor. Rarely does one discover nonsense in such a pristine state. Still this hasn’t stopped many people from concluding that there is a schism in the atheist community.

[...]The Pew survey produced a few more anomalies: 3 percent of “atheists” are “absolutely certain” that a personal God exists and believe that the Bible is His “literal” Word; 4 percent attend religious services weekly; 5 percent pray daily; 2 percent receive answers to their prayers “at least once a week,” have witnessed “a divine healing,” and draw their morality straight from scripture. It may well be that some atheists, lacking the requisite fear of hell, find it amusing to maliciously waste a pollster’s time. I think, rather, that these figures are simply what it sounds like to ram against the error bars in this particular survey.

Pew’s sample of 35,556 Americans included 515 respondents who identified themselves as “atheists” (1.6 percent). The margin of error for this subgroup appears to be around 5 percent – which clearly makes a hash of many of the above findings. Among 35,556 people, Pew seems to have found 40 especially confused God-fearing men and women who think they are “atheists.” Their mutterings do not offer any special insight into the nature of belief.

So IS relies upon a site which thoroughly discredits this study to establish that we should all take this study quite seriously.

I think we all (save SI) can agree that SI’s “mutterings do not offer any special insight into the nature of belief.”

Signature

“I am one of the few people I know who has argued in print that torture may be an ethical necessity in our war on terror.” Sam Harris October 17, 2005

It is what it is, deistic atheism. You can have your narrow definitions if you choose to, but I’ll go with the broader definition, and with the fact that deistic atheist’s do in fact exist. Make fun of them if you want to, call them confused, but like I said in my first post, when the polls are taken, they are counted as atheists. And that is a difficult point to argue with.

I mean, what’s the point? Certainly it isn’t just to pull faces at non-deistic atheists, is it?

The point is to make a valid point: That deistic atheists do exist. And judging by the clear lack of oppostion to my ideas, I have established that it is a valid point. Hardly anyone on this thread has even quoted my ideas and attempted to actually argue against them, they have desperately resorted to personal attacks for the most part, which just shows they have nothing to say in opposition to my ideas.

Eaton Shirdlu - 17 December 2008 01:35 PM

You can call yourself an atheist with any amount of decoration, but the other atheists are not going to invite you into the atheist clubhouse you so much seem to want to get into. Your kind of misery doesn’t like company, and the other atheists know it.

I’ve never called myself an atheist, and I have no worries about not being invited into the atheist clubhouse. Actually, even if I was invited into the atheist clubhouse, I would have to politely decline. I have plenty of friends in my life off the internet, and don’t have any social voids in my life which I feel need to be provided for by writing and reading on the internet atheist forum. But I have appreciated the messages some have sent me in support of some of the projects I have been pursuing in this forum.

The point is to make a valid point: That deistic atheists do exist. And judging by the clear lack of oppostion to my ideas, I have established that it is a valid point.

Looks like your work here is done. Bye bye!

Immediate Suppression - 17 December 2008 05:09 PM

I’ve never called myself an atheist, and I have no worries about not being invited into the atheist clubhouse. Actually, even if I was invited into the atheist clubhouse, I would have to politely decline.

Thank you for politely declining. Your RSVP is received.
Bye bye!

Signature

“I am one of the few people I know who has argued in print that torture may be an ethical necessity in our war on terror.” Sam Harris October 17, 2005

Question them if you want, make fun of them if you want, but you have no other option but to take them at their word when they say they are an atheist. And when the polls are taken, they are counted as atheists.

The point is to make a valid point: That deistic atheists do exist. And judging by the clear lack of oppostion to my ideas, I have established that it is a valid point. Hardly anyone on this thread has even quoted my ideas and attempted to actually argue against them, they have desperately resorted to personal attacks for the most part, which just shows they have nothing to say in opposition to my ideas.

The point is, you have no point. Deistic atheists exist because they call themselves that. Everyone here has been pointing out the inanity of it. What are your ideas? Numerous and various classifications and subgroups of any -ism you can name also exist, so what? Haven’t you seen those discussions going on here ad nauseum? You want to add more? Have at it. We’ll evaluate its meaning and validity, just as we do any other religion or -ism. Be mindful however, that you might just invite more not so desperate personal attacks.

Just for the record, I was referring to deistic atheists as fuckwits. But a rose by any other name ...

I also have never been dishonest. There was one time where I cut & pasted a definition of spinal biffida without sourcing it, someone made a big deal over it out of desperation, so I went back and cited it.

And I have never been manipulative, though I can understand why some might feel that way possibly out of embarrassment because they inadvertently helped out in some of my projects in this forum.

The point is to make a valid point: That deistic atheists do exist. And judging by the clear lack of oppostion to my ideas, I have established that it is a valid point. Hardly anyone on this thread has even quoted my ideas and attempted to actually argue against them, they have desperately resorted to personal attacks for the most part, which just shows they have nothing to say in opposition to my ideas.

Deistic atheists exist because they call themselves that.

Thank you for finally acknowledging that they do in fact exist.

goodgraydrab - 17 December 2008 05:33 PM

You want to add more? Have at it. We’ll evaluate its meaning and validity, just as we do any other religion or -ism. Be mindful however, that you might just invite more not so desperate personal attacks.

They are obviously done out of frustration and desperation, and the personal attacks obviously have no effect on me.

goodgraydrab - 17 December 2008 05:33 PM

Just for the record, I was referring to deistic atheists as fuckwits.

Like I said in my original post, criticize them, make fun of them if you want, even call them uncivil vulgar names like you just did there. But when the polls are taken, they are counted as atheists.

I also have never been dishonest. There was one time where I cut & pasted a definition of spinal biffida without sourcing it, someone made a big deal over it out of desperation, so I went back and cited it.

And I have never been manipulative, though I can understand why some might feel that way possibly out of embarrassment because they inadvertently helped out in some of my projects in this forum.

Your lying and being dishonest and manipulative right now.

I caught you changing quotes. I caught you making false statements about other posters participating in your projects and agreeing with your statements. and I caught you
cross posting quotes out of context between your threads to make it appear that people supported your views.

It’s back in the threads if you haven’t doctored it and if anyone cares enough to look, I don’t.

Signature

Why is there Something instead of Nothing: No reason or ever knowable reason.

Lest you twist my statement for the benefit of any of your so-called research, I’m making it perfectly clear now that I acknowledge that I saw a post in which you displayed an alleged poll citing numbers of respondents who identified themselves as deistic atheists. I in no way avow their true existence or recognize the legitimacy of their ideas if they actually do exist.